Since announcing our participation in the Primal Challenge earlier this month, we've gotten a really wide array of responses. I had no people could get so worked up over a simple change in diet! Responses have included everything from "That's great, we've been eating that way for a while and feel great" all the way to "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and you'll probably die eating that way." Nevertheless, here we are, ten days in still alive and kicking, so I wanted to put together an update on how it's been going so far.

It's with complete surprise that I have to say that it really has been incredibly easy.  January and I both work at home, so I feel like we already had a good head start on this thing; We were careful to clean out the fridge of anything off limits and make sure we were well stocked with the staples: lots of high quality meat, lots of vegetables and fruit, a few dozen eggs, and a few other odds and ends. From there it was a pretty simple matter of just using the stuff we had around the house to cook our meals. It also helped to plan the major meals ahead of time so we knew what was coming up and we didn't fall into the trap of "I'm so hungry, but I don't know what to make."

During this past week, we have had some of the best meals I can remember ever making at home. I'm going to save specific recipes for later this month, but a few of the things we've found to be our favorites are mini-quiches and fruit for breakfasts, coconut shrimp, and burgers (sans bun, of course). We've also been eating a crazy amount of avocado, which we both love. There are few things I can think of that aren't made better with a dollop of guacamole.

Personally, I did struggle a week into the challenge, when we got to the weekend. I woke up Saturday morning with an intense craving for pancakes. I love -- love -- eggs, but omelettes every morning for a solid week is too much even for me. I didn't give in on the pancakes, but we are still struggling to try to find good breakast options that don't include, or at least that don't feature, eggs.

While the food side of things is going pretty well, we've been somewhat hit-and-miss with the other facets of the challenge; We haven't seen a sunrise or sunset yet. It can be surprisingly difficult to find time to get outside, even for 15 minutes, on some days. And as for the "no glowing rectangles in the bedroom" rule, well, that lasted for about 1 hour the first night. What can I say? We're technology addicts.

But we're definitely already seeing some positive effects on our lives; January has mentioned several times that she feels more energetic, especially in the afternoon when people tend to start to drag a little. I think we've both noticed that our concentration has increased a bit, as well. And, most notably, over the past ten days we have lost a combined 18 pounds.  Eighteen pounds! It's hard to argue with that.

We still have about three weeks left, but we're both really encouraged by how things are going so I expect it to fly right by without many major issues.  If you've been thinking about trying paleo out or taking the Primal Challenge yourself, I would have to say that it's worth investingating. Check back in ten days the two-thirds update, and I'll talk a little more about the specific foods we're eating, and hopefully share a few recipes that have been getting us through the transition.